Album Reviewhttp://www.guitarworld.com/taxonomy/term/1646/all
enAlbum Review: The Beatles — 'The U.S. Albums'http://www.guitarworld.com/album-review-beatles-us-albums
<!--paging_filter--><p>Unless you’ve been under a rock, missed the Grammys and close your eyes while you’re at the grocery store checkout, you’ve probably noticed it’s the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ arrival in the U.S. </p>
<p>To mark the occasion, there’s a new box set called <em>The Beatles: The U.S. Albums</em> that, more than anything in the band’s recent catalog, is truly the sound of Beatlemania.</p>
<p>The 13-CD set, which compiles the band’s unique U.S. Capitol releases from 1964 to 1966, with 1970's <em>Hey Jude</em> thrown in for good measure, has caused an enormous stir amongst audiophiles, Beatles purists and some first-generation fans. </p>
<p>Since the announcement of the release late last year, the Internet has been alight with hand-wringing over what mixes would be — and should be — used to compile this set. Well, there’s an excellent breakdown of what’s what over at <a href="http://thebeatlesrarity.com/">thebeatlesrarity.com</a>, and the truth is that these aren’t really the albums you grew up with. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t still great. </p>
<p>“It seems like a bit of a scam not to use the original Capitol mixes,” musician Marshall Crenshaw, who’s also an alum of the late-1970s Broadway show <em>Beatlemania!</em>, told me recently when we chatted about the set. “I think the compression and the echo that they used in putting together those releases were a really important part of what made those records sound the way they did and what made them special.”</p>
<p>Crenshaw is right. But there are also plenty of places to find perhaps the first great rock and roll record, <em>The Beatles Second Album</em>, or the proto-folk perfection of the U.S. <em>Rubber Soul</em> and all of their bastard U.S. brothers, albums that bear no correlation to the Beatles’ U.K. catalog. </p>
<p>We’ve already had two volumes (eight CDs) of the <em>Capitol Versions</em> series, which were low budget but true to the original versions of the albums; armfuls of bootlegs, including the near-perfect Dr. Ebbetts releases that any industrious fan who can spell e-b-a-y can find, and, of course, the original vinyl versions, which still line used record and Goodwill stores everywhere.</p>
<p>So perhaps these aren’t the albums you bought in the mid-Sixties. But in this singles-driven, iTunes world we live in, not only would the “duophonic” (fake stereo) mixes on those original LPs be unacceptable to more casual fans, but even songs that were more or less direct transfers by Capitol in the 1960s that we got a sampling of on CD in those <em>Capitol Versions</em> sets pale in comparison to the recent 2009 remasters Apple painstakingly prepared.</p>
<p>In other words, think of it from the Beatles’ point of view. Millions of people every year are buying your music, mostly as single downloads via iTunes and other digital services, and only a small (if very loyal) percentage of them expect to hear things exactly as they did in 1964. Rather, you’d certainly turn off any teenager, or “civilian” fan for that matter, who might download “She’s A Woman” or “I Feel Fine” in the fake stereo versions prepared by the infamous Beatle-hating Capitol exec Dave Dexter.</p>
<p>So with that in mind, and on those relative merits, <em>The U.S. Albums</em> is a fantastic set. There are five albums from 1964 alone that spell out the doom of the adult-oriented world so prevalent in the pre-Beatles years in big, bold letters. By the time of the 1965 and ’66 albums, it’s truly game over, and the power and commercial influence of the burgeoning youth culture has truly taken hold.</p>
<p>There are certainly things for diehards to quibble about. While Apple did try to recreate the early-Sixties experience by adding reverb to some of the 2009 remasters, many of the mono fold-down mixes or mixes unique to Capitol’s original releases are missing. And the oomph of the over-compressed Dexter tracks is gone, especially on the <em>Second Album</em>. </p>
<p>But the overall listening experience of hearing these albums in pristine quality is probably worth it for most casual fans. The packaging, too, is top-notch, and the booklet, with an excellent essay from Bill Flanagan, includes some great pictures, though don’t expect the level of detail afforded the 2009 CD or 2010 vinyl remaster sets.</p>
<p>In the end, I suppose a little perspective is warranted. “Serious” fans were just given a wonderful surprise holiday gift in the 1963 Bootleg release. So if this one is more for the casual or younger fan, curious to revisit or learn what all the fuss was about in those months after JFKs assassination, when the world was turned upside down by four working-class kids from Liverpool, I say let them have it.</p>
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<p><em><a href="http://www.digitalretro.com/jeffslate.htm">Jeff Slate</a> is a NYC-based solo singer-songwriter and music journalist. He founded and fronted the band the Badge for 15 years beginning in 1997 and has worked with Pete Townshend, Earl Slick, Carlos Alomar, Steve Holley, Laurence Juber and countless others. He has interviewed and written about everyone from the Beatles and Kiss to Monty Python and rock musicals on Broadway. He is an avid collector of rock and roll books and bootlegs and has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Dylan and the Beatles. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.digitalretro.com/jeffslate.htm">jeffslate.net.</a></em></p>
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http://www.guitarworld.com/album-review-beatles-us-albums#commentsAlbum ReviewJeff SlateThe BeatlesBlogsFeaturesTue, 18 Feb 2014 19:33:44 +0000Jeff Slate20514 at http://www.guitarworld.comAlbum Review: Bob Dylan — 'Another Self Portrait (1969-1971), The Bootleg Series Vol. 10'http://www.guitarworld.com/album-review-bob-dylan-another-self-portrait-1969-1971-bootleg-series-vol-10
<!--paging_filter--><p>The thing about being a fan of Bob Dylan is that the discovery of his greatness is never-ending. </p>
<p>In preparing to review the great new 10th volume of his Bootleg Series, <em>Another Self Portrait (1969-1971)</em>, I was distracted by a host of bootlegs that have been sitting on my hard drive, unlistened to for ages.</p>
<p>After spending a few days with <em>Another Self Portrait</em>, my Dylan jones seriously piqued, I rooted around and found a spectacular soundboard of Dylan with the Band from Madison Square Garden in 1974. </p>
<p>Then I dove into a fan-compiled bootleg of songs from <em>Modern Times</em> from his 2007 European tour, outtakes from <em>Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid</em> and sessions with Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Marshall Grant and WS Holland from 1969, and George Harrison, Charlie Daniels, Billy Mundi and Bob Johnson from 1970.</p>
<p>Thoroughly engrossed and completely distracted by the task at hand, I got back to <em>Another Self Portrait</em>. Much has been made about how great this release is and how it eclipses Dylan’s 1970 album, <em>Self Portrait</em>, by a long stretch. Both are true, but that has been true about much of Dylan’s Bootleg Series.</p>
<p><em>Live 1975: The Rolling Thunder Revue</em> was arguably a more consistent and engaging portrait of Dylan in that period. And <em>Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006</em> was a stunning trip through later-period Dylan, particularly highlighting the strength of his oft-overlooked pre-<em>Time Out Of Mind</em> output. Perhaps even moments of — let the heresy commence — <em>Live 1964: Concert at Philharmonic Hall</em> and <em>Live 1966: The Royal Albert Hall</em> best Dylan’s revered studio work of those same periods.</p>
<p>Or do they? The reality is that all of these releases have forced us to revisit and reassess various periods of Dylan’s career and what we — as reviewers or simply fans — have discovered is that he has always been great; we just might not have noticed at the time.</p>
<p>Many reviews of <em>Another Self Portrait</em>, in making the argument that it is significantly stronger than <em>Self Portrait</em>, have noted that much of what Dylan recorded and moved on from but didn’t release circa 1970 were essentially masterpieces unloved or under-appreciated by their creator. </p>
<p>I went back and listened to <em>Self Portrait</em>, something I hadn’t done in a long time. It’s great. It’s more finished and of its time than its Bootleg Series counterpart, but the thing that struck me in reflecting on this entry in the series and the nine volumes that came before it — not to mention Dylan’s official studio output — was the consistency of Dylan’s output. It’s all great. Seriously. </p>
<p>To those who quibble about his ragged voice or “weird” delivery or reinventing his classics or “that” Christmas album or the idiosyncratic nature of his muse, look no further than Mumford &amp; Sons or Dawes or Fleet Foxes or Jack White — or the plethora of bearded banjo players or pixies in hoop skirts that populate YouTube and Facebook — to see that just about every aspect of Dylan’s career is represented in what we music lovers like to think of as “real” music.</p>
<p>So what does <em>Another Self Portrait</em> show us? That Dylan was there first, he did it better, and we’re just playing catch up. </p>
<p>I could tell you about all the cool moments or outstanding tracks on <em>Another Self Portrait</em>, but if you’re a fan, you’ve already poured over the many hand-wringing reviews that have been all over the Internet in the past weeks. Dylan sounds great, the songs and performances are peerless, and though stylistically <em>Another Self Portrait</em> is a bit all over the place (owing mostly to the fact that the sessions the material is culled from spans three years) it also is remarkably coherent. The deluxe edition even includes Dylan's 1970 Isle of Wight appearance with the Band. It may not be what you expect from this infamous pairing — it's not quite like his 1966 or 1974 tours with the Band — but it's astonishing nonetheless and further proof that then as now, and at almost every point in his career, Dylan was in total command of his skills as a performer.</p>
<p>The guitar work — whether acoustic strumming or flat-picking, punchy electric lines and pedal steel — is stellar and, most of all, tasteful throughout. In essence, <em>Another Self Portrait</em> is a five-star album any music lover should have in his or her collection. It’s great music, played by a true master that you’ll enjoy over and over. And you might just learn something and gain some perspective on Dylan and music in general in the process.</p>
<p>Now that’s saying something.</p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.digitalretro.com/jeffslate.htm">Jeff Slate</a> is a NYC-based solo singer-songwriter and music journalist. He founded and fronted the band the Badge for 15 years beginning in 1997 and has worked with Pete Townshend, Earl Slick, Carlos Alomar, Steve Holley, Laurence Juber and countless others. He has interviewed and written about everyone from the Beatles and Kiss to Monty Python and rock musicals on Broadway. He is an avid collector of rock and roll books and bootlegs and has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Dylan and the Beatles. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.digitalretro.com/jeffslate.htm">jeffslate.net.</a></em></p>
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http://www.guitarworld.com/album-review-bob-dylan-another-self-portrait-1969-1971-bootleg-series-vol-10#commentsAlbum ReviewBob DylanJeff SlateBlogsFeaturesMon, 02 Sep 2013 19:48:42 +0000Jeff Slate19123 at http://www.guitarworld.comFirst Listen: Matt Nathanson’s 'Last of the Great Pretenders'http://www.guitarworld.com/first-listen-matt-nathanson-s-last-great-pretenders
<!--paging_filter--><p>Did I say first listen? I meant first, second, third and maybe even fourth. </p>
<p>Nathanson, a veteran of folk-laced rock, sings a path to my heart with this latest amalgam of longing mixed with bouncy fun. His many references to San Francisco also hit close to my part of the globe and bring the album a fresh, sincere vibe. <em>Last of the Great Pretenders</em> is a window into what it’s like to be inside Nathanson’s head.</p>
<p>Nathanson broke through the noise in 2007 with his platinum-selling single, “Come on Get Higher,” off his release, <em>Some Mad Hope</em>. <em>Modern Love</em> followed in 2011 and featured the hits “Faster” and “Run” as well as the infectious title track.</p>
<p>Many cuts list among my favorites on <em>Last of the Great Pretenders</em>, but perhaps the most memorable is “Kinks Shirt,” which delivers a flippant beat with clever lyrics and vivid details that grab you and pull you along for a head-bobbing ride. My 17-year-old daughter walked in while this cut was playing and asked, “Is he saying pink shirt?” When I told her no, he said Kinks shirt. She replied, “What’s that?” Sigh. </p>
<p>Nathanson has a knack for writing toe-tapping grooves and bouncy syllabic vocal riffs. “Heart Starts” is a prime example. Like most of the cuts off <em>Last of the Great Pretenders</em>, “Heart Starts” covers yearning, achy subject matter but has a free-feeling vibe that is very endearing.</p>
<p>The arrangements on the album are rife with hand-claps, lively beats and jangly guitars, all solidly recorded and mixed to back Nathanson’s penetrating vocals. The performance is consistently good with just enough variation. When I got to the end, I thought, too bad it’s over. </p>
<p>But perhaps even better than the excellent performance are the lyrics. Ooo la la. A veritable smorgasbord of detail-ridden references, unique hooks and visual-inducing stunners. Nathanson goes two steps beyond his past writing with a selection of songs that grab and hold on fast. In the end, I just want to give Nathanson a hug and say, nice job, hope your heart heals soon.</p>
<p>For more info, check out <a href="www.mattnathanson.com">mattnathanson.com</a>.</p>
<p><iframe width="620" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tORhy2-fn0A?list=UUH1m5gA4J71zk0eERlNGa6g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><em>Laura B. Whitmore is a singer/songwriter based in the San Francisco bay area. A veteran music industry marketer, she has spent over two decades doing marketing, PR and artist relations for several guitar-related brands including Marshall and VOX. Her company, Mad Sun Marketing, represents Dean Markley, Agile Partners, Peavey, Jammit, Notion Music, Guitar World and many more. Laura was instrumental in the launch of the Guitar World Lick of the Day app. She is the founder of the <a href="http://www.thewimn.com/">Women's International Music Network at thewimn.com</a>, producer of the <a href="http://www.thewimn.com/events/womens-music-summit/">Women's Music Summit</a> and the lead singer for the rock band Summer Music Project. More at <a href="http://mad-sun.com/MAD_SUN_MARKETING/Home.html">mad-sun.com.</a></em></p>
http://www.guitarworld.com/first-listen-matt-nathanson-s-last-great-pretenders#commentsAlbum ReviewLaura B. WhitmoreMatt NathansonBlogsFri, 26 Jul 2013 19:17:54 +0000Laura B. Whitmore18907 at http://www.guitarworld.comReview: Willie Nile Hits New Career Peak with 'American Ride'http://www.guitarworld.com/review-willie-nile-hits-new-career-peak-american-ride
<!--paging_filter--><p>About 10 years ago, BBC disc jockey Spencer Leigh reviewed a show by my old band, the Badge, and wondered how we were able to write songs that matched the work of <em>Rubber Soul</em>-era Lennon &amp; McCartney when McCartney couldn’t seem to muster the same magic. </p>
<p>It was a humbling comment, to say the least. We never thought of ourselves in that league, and to see it in print from a DJ we liked and respected made it all the more surreal.</p>
<p>So when I say that Willie Nile’s new <em>American Ride</em> reclaims that “new Dylan” mantel he was saddled with back around the time of his infamous self-titled debut (which is conveniently being reissued by Sony Legacy this month), I’m sure somewhere down in Greenwich Village Nile will bristle.</p>
<p>But <em>American Ride</em> is just that good. It’s full of confident songwriting and performances that come from talent and experience. In fact, there isn’t a track you’ll likely skip among the 12 gems on <em>American Ride</em>.</p>
<p>Of course, sobriquets aside, Nile has never really sounded like Dylan, and, while the influence is felt, he doesn’t here. Though Nile is often compared to Bruce Springsteen, and it’s perhaps a more apt comparison than Dylan, the songs that make up <em>American Ride</em> are better than anything Springsteen has released since the 1970s. Like Paul Weller or Alejandro Escovedo, Nile is another of the punk-era artists who is offering his best work right now. And like Weller and Escovedo, Nile’s recent albums (<em>Streets of New York, House of A Thousand Guitars, The Innocent Ones</em> and now <em>American Ride</em>) are mostly as good as, if not better than, anything he’s ever done.</p>
<p>Much of it, of course, is down to the songwriting. But Nile also has surrounded himself with a fantastic band, and the energy fairly drips from the speakers.</p>
<p>Alex Alexander (drums, percussion), Johnny Pisano (bass, vocals) and Matt Hogan (guitar) comprise Nile’s current live band, and they are the core to <em>American Ride</em> that makes things really tick throughout. Aided by Steuart Smith on guitars, banjo and harmonium, the band gives life to Nile’s poetry and mixes things up stylistically just enough to keep things interesting without straying too far afield from what is a fantastic formula.</p>
<p>“The camaraderie amongst musicians when it’s really good is really special,” Nile recently told me. <em>American Ride</em> is proof of that. </p>
<p>“I know we have something special to give,” Nile went on. “I’ve played all over Europe recently with Alex and Johnny and Matt, and those audiences are tough, but once you win them over they’re really with you, and that’s been my experience lately playing shows over there with these guys. If you come to our shows and you’re not a fan yet, man you will be when you leave.” </p>
<p>Nile has been everywhere in the States lately, too, playing in-stores and libraries and tearing up the Highline here in New York City last night at the launch for <em>American Ride</em>. By all means catch him. It’s a live show that’s not to be missed. But be sure to pick up <em>American Ride</em> first. You’ll feel left out if you’re not part of the club that makes up Nile’s rabid audience and you’ll be missing one of the true classics of 2013. </p>
<p><strong>"This Is Our Time"</strong></p>
<p><iframe width="620" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AtQXCycIKTY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><Strong>"Life on Bleecker Street"</strong></p>
<p><iframe width="620" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jnAaIfalZVk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><Strong>"If I Ever See the Light"</strong></p>
<p><iframe width="620" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Hr36vr3BRqE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><strong>"American Ride"</strong></p>
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<p><em><a href="http://www.digitalretro.com/jeffslate.htm">Jeff Slate</a> is a NYC-based solo singer-songwriter and music journalist. He founded and fronted the band the Badge for 15 years beginning in 1997 and has worked with Pete Townshend, Earl Slick, Carlos Alomar, Steve Holley, Laurence Juber and countless others. He has interviewed and written about everyone from the Beatles and Kiss to Monty Python and rock musicals on Broadway. He is an avid collector of rock and roll books and bootlegs and has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Dylan and the Beatles. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.digitalretro.com/jeffslate.htm">jeffslate.net.</a></em></p>
http://www.guitarworld.com/review-willie-nile-hits-new-career-peak-american-ride#commentsAlbum ReviewJeff SlateWillie NileBlogsMon, 01 Jul 2013 20:22:23 +0000Jeff Slate18694 at http://www.guitarworld.comThe Oil Slick Review: The Goondas — 'Dog Show'http://www.guitarworld.com/oil-slick-review-goondas-dog-show
<!--paging_filter--><p>The Goondas wear their garage rock aspirations on their sleeve and deliver one hell of a rocker with their latest album, <em>Dog Show. </em></p>
<p>Starting with the title track, which opens with an uptempo drum beat and a guitar lick that sounds like it was written in the Delta, the album keeps building steam. Transitioning directly from its bluesy opening to the hard-charging “Autorotica," singer Brendan Green howls out his best Iggy impression (And it’s a good one) amid grungy but upbeat guitar and some inspired drumming.</p>
<p><em>Dog Show</em> is a vicious and lean piece of garage rock, keeping everything under four minutes and never straying from the band's barebones sonic attack. Songs like “Be Gone” recall the straightforward frustrated aggression of bands like the Oblivians, while bluesier efforts — like the smoldering, depressed “Let It Rain” — feel lifted from a dive bar in Louisiana.</p>
<p>The band sounds like a dog straining at the end of a leash, tight and barely contained at the same time. The guitars threaten to lose themselves in waves of fuzz but always manage to rein it in just at the brink. That same recklessness is felt in every word Green howls, spits and curses throughout the 11-track affair. </p>
<p>While the couple of slower songs on <em>Dog Show</em> don’t resonate as much as the pedal-down approaches that are the mainstay, there aren’t really any duds here. If straightforward garage rock isn’t your thing, the album may sound a bit simplistic at times, but that’s part of the appeal.</p>
<p>The Goondas have put out one of the most passionate odes to garage rock of the year with <em>Dog Show</em>, an album that is all sweat, energy and aggression. It’s raw without feeling unfinished, ragged in all the right places, and just plain fun. If you’re looking for no frills rock and roll, you can’t do much better. </p>
<p><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F88604299"></iframe></p>
<p><em>John Grimley writes the Oil Slick garage-rock blog for GuitarWorld.com</em>.</p>
http://www.guitarworld.com/oil-slick-review-goondas-dog-show#commentsAlbum ReviewJohn GrimleyThe GoondasThe Oil SlickBlogsWed, 26 Jun 2013 21:27:16 +0000John Grimley18651 at http://www.guitarworld.com